And Farther Still Than That
by GaleSynch
Summary: AU: Spending an eternity doing nothing with two strange demigods isn't something Luke expects after death. But as her hand grasps his, he thinks that maybe things won't be as bad as he'd originally thought. And he still isn't sure of many things, but one thing he is sure of is this: he'd follow Percy to the ends of the world and farther still than that. Luke/Jason/Fem!Percy/Nico.
1. Chapter 1

**And Farther Still Than That**

**Chpater One: Claudere**

* * *

On the day August 18th was the day the gods won the Second Titan War. The day recognition was brought upon the minor gods. The day the world was saved. The day the Titans fell. Everyone—that saw through the Mist and knew the true events—should be celebrating. The demigods and gods celebrated this glorious day.

All but a selected few. Because three heroes died that day. In the Greek, the campers grieved the death of their leader and former friend. Percy Jackson, first and last daughter of Poseidon died to save the world. Luke Castellan son of Hermes died a hero's death, he was the one that defeated Kronos along with the former. Up on Mount Orthys, the same day and time, in the arms of a young sobbing girl lied a dead boy known as Jason Grace the son of Jupiter and champion of Juno; he died to save the world too.

When the Muses sing at the celebration on Mount Olympus, they'll sing about the heroes' death and the Greeks will be puzzled because only two real and great heroes died that day—but then they'll place the third hero as the daughter of Aphrodite who died a hero's death too. They'll sing about Fate because no three heroes can die at the same time.

And as they celebrated, a daughter of Athena will be crying her eyes out for the death of her best friend and for the boy she loved. On the other side, a daughter of Bellona will be crying for the same reason she was. The atrocities created by the seas and skies never really stopped since that day.

And down and down in the Underworld, three heroes that were heralded and grieved for meet.

**LxPxJ**

"Fancy seeing you again," said Charon, stuffing a distinctly rumpled looking narcissus into a button hole on his wrinkled, expensive suit. He eyed the three demigods before him. "Drowned in the bathtub again, Percy Jackson?"

The unfamiliar and taller blonde raised an eyebrow, intriguied.

"It should be the last time," Percy smiled sadly, flipping him a drachma and stepping into the elevator. The two blondes—so similar in coloring that they could have been brothers—followed her example. Charon stared after them; somehow, despite what she's said, he doubted that it'd be the last time he saw those three in front of him, asking for passage. Stuffing the drachmas in his pocket, he entered the boat, waved at his passengers and started rowing the boat. As she stepped off the boat, the daughter of Poseidon waved at him, telling in to have a nice life and he couldn't help but snort at the unfairness of it all.

Never in his immortal life would Charon admit that he was fond of her and that he wished _she_ was one of the demigods in the world above, alive and celebrating their victory over the Titans. The daughter of Poseidon doesn't belong in the Underworld, where the spirits were merely shadows of what they once were. And Percy was like a beacon among them, her body and spirits still intact as they were back when she was still alive. She had no regrets, she chose to die for her friends and to save the world and she regretted nothing.

Charon watched as she and her two companions faded into the distance before leaving.

Percy led the two blondes, taking them down the familiar road from her first quest to the long lines, petting Cerberus along the way. To her surprise, the lines part before the three demigods, and there, sitting at the judges' table, were the three first judges of the dead.

"Elysium," the two judges that Percy did not recognize said the moment they saw her.

"Aeacus and Radamanthus." Jason said helpfully.

Luke turned to the third and only familiar judge to him. "Oh," he said. "I thought Hades' cast you into Tatarus or fire you."

"Bah," Minos glowered at the three demigods, but Radamanthus rapped him smartly on the head until he spit out, "Elysium, Elysium!"

"Unless," added Aeacus, "you'd like to try for the Isles of the Blest."

"She can?" Luke asked.

"She saved the world," Radamanthus said. "Of course she can."

She shook her head. "I'm good, guys."

"Well then," Radamanthus announced, smacking an official-looking stamp on an official-looking piece of paper. "Perseus Jackson, Elysium. Next!"

Jason stepped forward and since Minos had no agenda against him, gave him Elysium once he was revealed to be the son of Jupiter and died a hero's death.

"Jupiter?" Percy asked softly, eyebrows furrowing in faint confusion. "Isn't that the Roman name of Zeus?"

"Tell you later, once we reached our destination."

"Jason Grace, Elysium. Next!"

It was Luke's turn but instead of the same treatment like the other two demigods... "Luke Castellan," Aeacus growled. "I don't approve him going to Elysium. Fields of Punishment!"

"Seconded," Minos said nastily.

"Fields of Ashpodel," Radamanthus said, being the most sympathetic and fairest of the three. "You saved the world too, but it still wasn't enough to make up for the deaths done."

The son of Hermes merely nodded in resignation, he'd knew this was coming. But he didn't see coming was the outburst from both Jason and Percy.

"No!" the daughter of Poseidon yelled. "That's not fair."

"Yeah," the son of Jupiter agreed though he didn't sound as vehement as his cousin.

Aeacus frowned, obviously no one had defied him like this before. He snapped his fingers and images shimmered before the three demigods. Luke couldn't see anything but a darkened whirlpool but the looks of anguish and bitterness on his companions' face told him that whatever they saw made them feel bitter jealousy.

When the images faded, Radamanthus said sadly, "You two children of the Big Three lost this life. That's why the both of you deserved Elysium along with the good deeds you've done." Then he turned to look at Luke distastefully. "But this son of Hermes helped the enemy, he realized too late. Not enough good to be in Elysium and not enough bad to be in the Fields of Punishment. But alas, I'm outvoted on the Fields of Asphodel. Eternal damnation it is."

"No," Jason insisted. "He was misled. In the end, didn't he saved the world too?"

Finally, Aeacus sighed, glaring at the three demigods. "Not enough good and bad."

"Why don't we divide the blame?" Minos suggested gleefully, wanting the daughter of Poseidon to suffer too.

"All three souls will be consigned to the Fields of Asphodel as Radamathus suggested."

Radamathus' jaw dropped. "I didn't suggest the children of the Big Three too!" Then he sighed and looked up at the two innocent demigods. "I'm sorry, Jason Grace, Percy Jackson, the both of you could've been heroes in Elysium."

Luke stared at the two demigods, stunned even as they pulled him away and led him to a pavilion. He managed to croak out, "Why?" hoarsely, feeling his eyes burn in a way he'd forgotten it can when he was about to cry. "You could've been happy."

"Percy told me what happened," Jason said, frowning. "While I disapprove of your earlier actions. You still saved the world we died to protect. The judges were unfair."

"Yeah," Percy said, slipping her hand into Luke's. "Unfair."

Luke didn't really know these two that well. Sure, he knew Percy from battles and only in battles. But even through the battles they fought, he could see that she fought to protect what she hold dear. Jason, they met him when they were on their way to Los Angeles, to Charon. They traveled together and fended off the monsters—Soul Eaters; even in death and spirits, they were still edible to monsters—and learned more about one another. Still, they really weren't that close like family—there were still times they withdrew from the others from time to time.

"Let's go through this together," Percy said, smiling gently his way, her other hand grasping Jason's so that they wouldn't be separated in this place full of souls, where they were shades and it would be impossible to tell from one face to the other.

Luke nodded mutely as they turned to face the golden fields that seemed to go on forever. Spending an eternity doing nothing with two strange demigods and nameless shades wasn't something Luke expected after death. But as Percy's small hand squeezed his in a reassuring way, he reckoned that it won't be as bad as he'd originally thought.

**LxPxJ**

* * *

**A/N: **Right. A threesome. Is it too confusing for you? And if Jason seem to attach to Percy, there will be a reason for that - it wouldn't be revealed until later; continue reading to know. Tell me what you think; review!


	2. Chapter 2

**And Farther Still Than That**

**Chpater Two: Heroes of Olympus**

* * *

"Pandora Jackson."

The daughter of Poseidon blinked, turning around when she heard the familiar old raspy voice calling her. Her two companions—her self-proclaimed bodyguards since she certainly didn't hire them—turned also but neither blonde smile when they saw the Fury Alecto.

Jason flipped his coin and a golden javelin appear in his hand. He pointed it in the Fury's face, electric blue eyes narrowed. "Stay away from her," he snapped.

Luke wished he had Backbiter—like how Jason and Pandora each had their weapon from life—because without a weapon, he certainly couldn't defend himself and his friends. But still, he stood, tense and ready.

"I would suggest you boys stay down," the Fury hissed coldly, her whip flickered with flames. "I'm not here to talk to either of you, I just want a little chat with my old student."

"Mrs. Dodds!" Pandora greeted brightly. "So good to see you again!"

"You like meeting a monster?" Jason could barely believe his ears.

Alecto chuckled, forked tongue flickering out as she hissed at the two boys who glowered back at her. She ignored them, bringing out the book she had taken from the mortal world, from Pandora's box of possession. Pandora blinked, curiosity shining in her eyes as she leaned forward to see what Alecto held in her hands—the curiosity shining in her eyes was worthy of her namesake.

Sea-green eyes widened even more. "This is..." she groaned once she managed to decipher the book cover. "...my math's workbook. Why—"

Her complain died as Alecto flipped the pages open. The answers were all correctly written, surprising Pandora because she knew she sucked at maths. The last page made her smile; there, written in red ink were the words _well done, hero_.

"I passed a test?" she teased, accepting the book.

Alecto winked playfully at her, licking her lips. "Too bad you died. I could've used the meal." And she left.

"What's that all about?" Luke asked, peering at the book Pandora was flipping.

"She was once my maths teacher," Pandora answered, closing the book and holding it tight to her chest. She had Alecto at the start of her journey as a demigod, she thought it was appropriate that her pseudo-teacher be there at the end of her journey too. Pandora had considered being reincarnated, if she was a mortal in her next life...she didn't know whether things would go well for her or not.

What if she couldn't see anymore of her friends?

That thought made her clutch Jason's hand with her free hand. The son of Jupiter looked down, wincing at the bone-breaking grip.

"Is something wrong?" Luke asked, frowning at the two's closeness. Sure, he knew they were cousins but they barely knew each other. Why were they so close? "Pandora?"

"I'm fine," Pandora muttered. She looked around the Fields of Asphodel. A color in the midst of the shades made her blink. "There's something there," she told the guys. "Come on—let's go check it out!"

Pandora took off first, trying desperately not to lose sight of the colors among the shade. When she saw the familiar pale figure, she nearly cried with joy, deaf to the calls of the blonde boys behind her. "Nico!" she yelled, heart soaring when the son of Hades turned just in time for her to tackle him to the ground.

The pale boy groaned in pain as his head connected soundly with the bark of the tree but once he registered who was in his arms, he was able to push away the pain and concentrate on the pale face hovering before him. "Pandora?" he murmured in disbelief at the youthful face before him.

The look of shock on his handsome and older face made Pandora realize something. Nico...the boy who was supposed to be physically younger than her by two years was now the same age as her, if not, older. She pulled back, unsure as to who she was clinging onto.

"Nico?" she asked. "You've grown...in such a short amount of time?"

"_Short_?" Nico whispered in disbelief, cupping her face in his cold ones. "You've been dead for two years now, Pandora, that's not _short_."

"I've been wandering the Fields for two years?"

The daughter of Poseidon blinked, trying to wrap the concept of time around her head. Nico studied her, noticing that she hadn't changed except the fact that the shade of her skin was as pale as his. When the children of the Big Three stood, Nico also noticed that he was taller than her now.

Pandora noticed, of course, she'd always liked ruffling his hair to remind him that he was short. Now she couldn't do it anymore. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "Why did you only find me after two years?"

"I thought you were in Elysium but no one there had seen you. I didn't think you'd be in Asphodel or Punishment so I assumed you'd chosen rebirth...like Bianca." Nico swallowed as he mentioned the name of his sister who'd died years ago. But then his eyes lit up at the prospect of bringing the girl before him back to life. He grasped her elbow tightly. "Let's go, we'll get Hazel and get out of here. Back to the living."

"What are you talking about?" Pandora protested. "Who's Hazel? And I'm dead!"

"Yes, yes you're dead but..." Nico glanced around, pulling her close before whispering in her ear. "The Doors of Death are opened now, spirits who leave through there will be brought back to life!"

"What about Bian—" Pandora stopped once she caught Nico's anguished gaze. "Wait, Jason and Luke—" she turned abruptly but to her dismay, she didn't see any blonde hair amongst the spirit. She tugged her arm. "Wait, there's two others. Jason Grace and Luke Castellan. I came with them and—"

"Pandora," Nico stressed. "I'm on a quest to bring you and Hazel back to life."

"Who issued that and who's Hazel?" Pandora demanded, frustrated and baffled with her situation. She'd just entered the Fields of Ashpodel and now she was leaving? What happened to Hades' rule?

"Hazel is my...half-sister. Like me, she's born in the 1940s." Nico hesitated, unsure as to how much information he's allowed to give out. "Anyways, Hera—"

"As in the Queen of the gods?"

"No, as in Queen of the cows," Nico rolled his eyes, unable to help the sarcasm seeping through his tone. "Of course the Queen of the gods."

Of all gods to issue such a quest, especially for demigods and her who had offended Hera one too many times, she hadn't expected Hera. "Is she going to torture me or something?" she asked suspiciously.

"No, you're a hero Pandora and the world still needs you."

"I thought I'm a retired demigod?" Her lips twitched upwards into a smile of anticipation—fighting monsters was way sweeter than being dead and trapped in the Fields of Asphodel Though Luke and Jason... "What about Luke and Jason?"

"Someone else is already there for them."

**LxPxJ**

Jason skidded to a stop and Luke was barely able to stop before he ran right into Jason's taller form. "What's wrong?" Luke asked, pushing Jason out of the way to see what was before him. Jason didn't answer but he didn't need to. "Gods, Pandora—"

"—is safe."

Both blondes whirled around to see the last person they expected: mahogany curls cascaded down the tan female's back, the lady's dress shimmered and her eyes glowed every warm color imaginable; needless to say, she was ethereally beautiful.

"Hera," Luke practically spat. "What do you want? What are you doing here? No, wait, scratch that. How are you here—in Hades' domain uninvited."

"Lady Juno." Jason said in a much more polite tone, shooting Luke a look. He'd never liked the traitor, he'd stepped for the older boy was because of Pandora and because he didn't think the judges judged Luke fairly. Now, he wished Pandora and him had abandoned the traitor back there. How dare the boy be rude to his champion, someone who had been there for him when he was little? A mother he never had? His electric blue eyes glowed—the many times the boys'd argued, Pandora had been there to diffuse the situation but now that she was gone...

The goddess smiled coldly down at the son of Hermes who was bristling angrily before turning to face the taller blonde boy. "Jason, my champion, it has been too long."

"Right," the son of Hermes muttered, backing away. "Ignore me. I'm going after Pandora."

Suddenly, the goddess whirled to the former traitor. Her eyes glowed. "Let's cut the chase. You're both needed up there, in the living. Our enemies of the earth stirs and a quest is needed to save me, the beginning of something bigger."

"Er, you're trapped here?"

The goddess' eyes blazed when Luke said that. "No, you fool—" she coughed weakly, her form flickering. "I do not have much time. Take my hand, my captors are waking and they'll notice what I'm doing soon enough—"

"If you're trapped, why are you wasting time on us instead of busting yourself out?" Jason dared to venture though one look from his champion had his hand in hers.

Hera/Juno did not answer. Her lower lip curled when Luke didn't deign to reach out to her. "Oh, son of Hermes, don't you want to see that Annabeth girl or...Pandora again?"

From the jerk of his shoulders, it clearly affected Luke. The blonde looked up at the goddess with grudging admiration, the temptation obviously too much for him as he reached out to grab the goddess' hand.

"Are you sure you're not the goddess of blackmail and bribery?"

Hera/Juno smiled, more warmly this time but still on the scale of cold. She glowed and the spirits of the dead shied away as the souls combined, disappearing in a burst of sparkles. Little did those shades know, they were witnesses to a beginning of a new war and era.

**LxPxJ**

* * *

**A/N: **This story is going to be a threesome. But when I write this chapter, I'm tempted to write a Big Three Union – **Jason/Percy/Nico**. And Luke can be with Annabeth. So is it going to be a **JxPxN **or **JxPxL**? **Review and tell me**!


	3. Chapter 3

**And Farther Still Than That**

**Chapter**** Three: One Body Two Souls.**

* * *

Jason woke to a deep aching pain in his head. He was aware of a few things the moment he was awake and aware: someone was holding his hand and someone was prodding his mind. Wait. Prod his mind? He closed his blue hues and painted beneath his lids: was a man with shaggy blonde hair and eyes like his but who—

_It's me, Luke Castellan, don't you remember me?_ The man's voice echoed in his mind, a frown on his aristocrat features but he didn't seem too upset that Jason didn't remember him.

The son of Jupiter squeezed his eyes shut, the memories from before flooding through his mind. Snippets of conversations and the face of a black-haired green-eyed girl surfaced; Pandora.

He would puzzle his relation to the girl Pandora and the man in his head later, for now, he'd concentrate on the two strangers together with him.

But who are they?

_The elf-looking-dude called the girl Piper and she snapped back a name, Leo_.

If there was any good in having someone in his head, it was that the other can slap one into awareness whenever the one was zoning out. In his head, Jason could hear Luke smirking.

**LxA**

Jason could not understand. This pain, this overwhelming sadness, what was it? Why did it start when his gaze first landed on the blonde-haired grey-eyed girl? He didn't know her, had never met her before today where this madness all started and the gaping hole that was his memory and the hole wasn't subsiding in the least.

Annabeth; the name stirred shame in him, words and thoughts of betrayal swirled into his mind. He was even more baffled, he'd never met her and now he was suddenly—

Stop. It wasn't him. It was...Luke?

'_Luke, you know her_?'

_Once_, the son of Hermes murmured softly in his mind, subdued unlike his snarky attitude whenever he spoke with Luke.

'_You love her_?'

All the positive and negative feelings mingling together make it hard for Jason to discern one from the other but from what little he could manage, the answer to his question was a yes. Luke didn't need to spell it out for him but the blonde could already list all the negative path things will take with this.

The quest for Hera really needed to succeed, Jason didn't want to be feeling this fake love for Annabeth whom he could only consider as an ally. He wondered, sometimes, how Luke can crack Annabeth's shell of ice and steel—he must have been a wonderful person in life or when he had his body.

One thing was sure though: Jason didn't love her yet he was attracted to her, making him notice little details about her habit here and there. And when she was saying no to his request to join him on a quest (he didn't even realize that he had asked her to go with him) he was terrified to find himself close to whining and begging for her to stay.

Things would have been much easier if Luke could just stay still and stop arguing with him in his head and trying to wrestle control of their shared body.

When will Luke learn that the body was Jason's and that he was merely a spectator?

The only time when he tried to wrestle command of his body when they were under the influence of Medea. The ancient's spell had been too powerful for Jason to resist even though he knew things were just so damn wrong—fortunately, Luke wasn't affected. The son of Hermes had managed to save them, with the daughter of Aphrodite's help.

However, the man's little interference broke their secret: that they were two souls trapped in one body. That the two other at-least-normal demigods didn't see them as a freak was well enough. Leo actually thought it was cool and though Piper didn't say it, she was hopeful that Jason would notice her once Luke had been liberated from his body, that Luke's preference for girls would finally wore off Jason and he'd be able to see her as her.

Jason didn't have the heart to break it to her; a memory of a green-eyed girl always surfaced in his mind whenever he found himself thinking of other girls _that _way. Did he love the girl from his gaping memories? He wasn't sure, he didn't even know her name, just her face and that her smile was so bright and beautiful it felt like a galaxy had burst into existence within him whenever he saw or dreamed of that smile.

_But what if she was merely an illusion Hera sent to trap you in her grasp? To be her pawn forever? _Luke's voice murmured into his mind, and though Jason pretended to brush it off, they both knew it affected him.

A particular vicious argument had them ignoring one another.

Luke was silent until Jason met Thalia, reunited with his older sister. Finally! He should be happy but all he felt was dread and the feelings Luke felt for Annabeth surfaced towards the Lieutenant of Artemis.

And this was where they should be drawing the line because while Jason could endure of having romantic feelings for Annabeth, he couldn't possibly be reflecting Luke's romantic feeling for his own sister. It was just wrong and so sick on so many levels.

This time, Luke seemed to understand because he tried to quell the yearning, affection. The two way _hug you forever so that I wouldn't lose you again_ feeling was different but all the same that they didn't want Thalia to slip so easily from their grasp again.

This feelings were a hindrance.

But it was useful in uniting Jason and Luke—two entirely different souls fighting for their existence and purpose and to be reunited with the people they love and craved to see. The sight of Thalia's motionless and cold frozen form, thrown and flung carelessly across the icy ground was infuriating and Jason's vision turned red.

The anger and hate he felt emanating from himself was unreal. He'd never felt such intense hatred and anger because despite his powers, he was a peace-loving guy. The realization that it was Luke's feelings didn't hinder him this time because _hate and the taste for retribution_ was so much easier to comprehend than the word and meanings _love_ held.

They were going to tear Khione down.

Both were only moderately surprise when they realize they'd referred to themselves as one. They may be two souls forced to be in one body but the point still remains, they were one. Both souls may be torn in their affection for the girls but underneath all the faces, there was the peacefully smiling black-haired green-eyed girl.

They were going to find her weren't they.

**LxPxJ**

* * *

**A/N:** Short, but it'll be much longer next chapter – depicting Nico and Percy and things going on at Camp Jupiter. There might be some Percy/Reyna/Nico. Isn't this fic filling with many broken threesomes (which means there will be many heartbreaks) ?


	4. Chapter 4

**And Farther Still Than That**

**Chapter Four: Camp Jupiter.**

* * *

"An explanation would be sweet," Pandora remarked sarcastically, stumbling slightly as Nico dragged her through the Fields of Asphodel. "Nico? Slow down!"

"Sorry," the son of Hades murmured, glancing around and twisting his head so rapidly that Pandora worried it'd snap off. "This way. I see her."

Something burned in her chest but Pandora mustered a smile, unaware of how terrifying it was. Her grip tightened on Nico's hand which prompted a quick glance in her direction. He gulped, ready to run all of a sudden.

"Who is she?" she asked innocently.

Nico winced, "Ouch, ouch, ow—" he hissed in pain but was unable to pry the girl's fingers off him. "My sister, half-sister, Pluto's daughter!"

Instantly, Pandora's mood changed. "Jason told me about the gods' aspects too. He said he was a son of Jupiter."

Now, it was Nico's turn to feel something hot and irrational burn in his heart but he turned his head away before his face can express what he was thinking. "Yeah," he said. "Now we got to find her, Hazel and get out of here. As soon as possible."

"Uncle Hades wouldn't approve of our leave, right?"

"Yes," Nico glanced up quickly and cussed. "Shit. Alecto's here!" He started pulling Pandora away from the spot, prompting her to run along with him. "This way!"

Pandora glanced up at the sky, spotting the monster's form. She glanced at the Math workbook in hand, she'd never released it for once. She took a deep breath, ready to accept life again. She hurled the book in Alecto's direction and—miracles of miracles!—it struck her. "Sorry!" Pandora called up. "My time as a hero isn't over yet! Mind keeping it longer for me?"

"Keep what longer?"

"Just my—is that her?" Nico glanced at her then at the direction she was pointing in. Surely enough, resting her back against a dead grey tree, was a young girl that seemed to be in her young teens. Cocoa hair and skin the color of teak-wood and golden eyes, Pandora didn't think Hazel seem at all like a child of Hades/Pluto who was pale as corpse.

The pair skidded to a stop and the girl, Hazel, glanced up at the couple who was holding hands and breathing hard. "Yes?" she asked hesitantly but politely. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Come with us!" Pandora insisted, holding out her hand. "We'll explain later."

"Why? Where are we going?" Despite her multitude of questions, Hazel stood, as if she could tell that something was wrong. "What's happening?" she asked again when there happened to be a loud screech in the sky.

"Don't you want to live again?"

Hazel looked stunned. "I...can?"

"Yes, if you come with us!"

Hazel hesitated only a moment before she took Pandora's hand and together, the children of the Big Three ran like the wind, out of the Fields of Asphodel and away from the Furies and shades.

"My name," the brunette wheezed. "is Hazel Levesque! What's yours?"

"Nico di Angelo, son of Hades—Pluto's counterpart, I suppose that'd make you my sister."

Hazel turned to the other girl. "Are you my sister too?" She looked as pale as Nico, if not, more paler.

She laughed. "No," she said, sea-green eyes full of mirth. "I'm a daughter of Poseidon, my name's Pandora Jackson. My middle's name Perseus so sometimes, people calls me Percy. You can call me by either name."

"Girls," Nico said, drawing both their attention. "We're here."

"I don't see any door." Pandora remarked.

"No," the son of Hades said evenly. "Remember Odysseus' myth? About how he tried to bring his wife back to life?"

"Yes," answered Hazel. "I've heard of it but... shouldn't it be you the one to worry?"

"I'm warning you two: don't do anything to distract me."

Pandora and Hazel exchanged glances. "Of course not."

And together, hand in hand, they walked beyond the fields and farther still than that.

**NxP**

Pandora's eyes fluttered open, shutting immediately when sunlight streamed into her eyes, blinding her momentarily. The Fields of Asphodel did not have any sun so she was not accustomed to seeing the sun so soon again. She turned to her side, her hands stretching out to find someone—Nico, Hazel, Jason, Luke, Annabeth, Mom and Dad—or anyone she wanted so badly to see. Her hand sought for a source of warmth of another person's body and she nearly cried when someone caught her hand. Blinded momentarily, she couldn't see who it was.

"Nico?" she called out hopefully, her heart beating hard long and she loved the feel of it—to have a beating heart meant that she was alive. And being alive was simply great; she'd been ready to sacrifice herself for the sake of the world, completely eclipsing the fact she loved life and wanted to live. Now she had another chance...even if she had to save the world again as the price of living anew.

"Yeah?" the son of Hades answered her call instantly, squeezing her hand reassuringly. "You need anything?"

In response, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. He didn't protest and as her eyes were closed, she did not see the blush overwhelming his face.

"Thankyou," she whispered, her eyes burning with the sensation of tears.

"Wha—what did I do?"

"You gave another chance to live again," Pandora grinned, pulling back, disregarding the warm tears of joy streaming down her cheek.

Nico flushed, but he reached out to wipe her cheeks. "It's nothing," he mumbled. "But, listen, Pandora. We're not at Camp Half-Blood."

The smile slowly slid off her face but she didn't seem angry, merely astonished. "Why not?" she asked.

"We're in Camp Jupiter... you know," the son of Hades lowered his voice to a whisper. "...the Roman Camp?"

"They accept Greeks?"

"They don't know we're a bunch of _graecus_—the word here for Greeks and you best start using that—you see. Hazel can fit here and she's outside waiting for you to see the augur together. Your father is Poseidon, Neptune here and I have to warn you about him—"

"Nico?" Hazel's voice, muffled by the thick wooden walls, came from outside. "Is Pandora awake yet?"

"Yes," Nico called back. He grasped Pandora's hand and pulled her to her unsteady legs. But after stumbling a while, she managed to regain a steady footing. "Um, Hazel will guide you. She knows a lot about Roman things, yeah?"

"Does she know I'm a Greek?"

"Yes. She knows we're both _graecus_ but she won't tell on us."

Pandora rolled her eyes; she didn't miss the special emphasis in the sentence.

"Can we go now?"

"Yes."

Nico didn't release a hand, helping her walk. Hazel shot them an odd look but didn't comment as they walked towards the augury.

"So..." Pandora said to break the awkward silence that had settled between the children of the Big Three. "This ogre—"

"_Augur_." Nico snorted softly, ignoring Pandora's pout. "What about him?"

"Is he really a ogre?" she asked innocently.

Hazel giggled despite the situation she was in. "No, he's a descendant of Apollo, or so Reyna—and before you ask, she's the praetor, the leader here—says. He can tell prophecy by consulting the gods...I think."

Pandora hummed. "Sorta like Rachel. Speaking of our Oracle, how's she?"

"Sad that you're dead." Nico answered honestly.

"You didn't tell them about my revival?" the daughter of Poseidon frowned heavily, unhappy that her friends were sad and partly blaming herself for dying in the first place. But now that she's back...

"After I make sure Octavain doesn't slaughter the both of you."

"Is he that bad?"

Nico didn't answer his cousin's timid question but merely guided them to the temple that Nico said belonged to Jupiter/Zeus.

"_Maximus_ and _optimus_," mused Pandora. "What about Neptune's title? The coolest and most awesome?" she asked excitedly.

Hazel coughed awkwardly. "I may have little experience to the demigod world you've both experienced, I must say though, I don't think the Romans like your dad much. There's proof too."

"Where?"

As an answer, Hazel pointed to a ruined shack. On first glance anyway; Pandora's jaw dropped as she saw the symbol of her father, ruined and old and uncared for, hanging above the shack. "Oh." She said sadly; she supposed she wouldn't be accepted in this place then. She had to hope that she'd be able to scare the Romans good enough to live up to her father's name then for recognition.

Nico tapped her head sharply. "Don't be so depressed, silly. It will all work out fine."

With a nod, Pandora started walking again and the children of Hades/Pluto followed her.

"I'm curious..." Hazel said after a moment. "Are you two... dating?"

Nico choked, flushing and shaking his head rapidly from behind Pandora who had turned to glance at Hazel curiously.

"What would you do if I said yes?" the green-eyed demigod asked innocently.

"Then I'd be very happy for the both of you!" the daughter of Pluto answered honestly, smiling because she thought they looked good for one another.

"Thankyou." Pandora grinned, elbowing Nico. "Hear that? Your sister approves of me."

"Dad wouldn't," the son of Hades mumbled but was ignored by the two girls as they approached the temple first.

When Pandora first saw the scrawny descendant of Apollo, she thought he was Luke. But then she looked closer and instantly noticed that the boys only shared the same coloring. Luke had a warrior's build, this Octavian guy didn't seem as if he could lift anything heavier than the teddy bear he's holding.

Octavian stepped off the dais. He was probably about eighteen, but so skinny and sickly pale, he could've passed for younger. At first he looked harmless, but as he got closer, Pandora wasn't so sure. Octavian's eyes glittered with harsh curiosity, like he might gut Pandora just as easily as a teddy bear if he thought he could learn something from it.

"Pandora, Hazel," Nico said, voice strained and face tight with concealed anger and resentment. "Meet Octavian."

Octavian didn't even spare Hazel a glance but his gaze fixed, seemingly permanently, on Pandora which earned him a brief glare from the son of Hades. "The _graecus_," he said, pointing at the girl with a cruel smile. "How interesting!"

"Uh, hi," Pandora said. "Are you killing small animals?" She glanced meaningfully at what Octavian held in his hands.

Octavian looked at the fuzzy thing in his hand and laughed. "No, no. Once upon a time, yes. We used to read the will of the gods by examining animal guts—chickens, goats, that sort of thing. Nowadays, we use these."

He tossed the fuzzy thing to Pandora and Nico was starting to grow alarm at how much attention that crazy blonde was giving her. It was a disemboweled teddy bear and not the only one, Pandora noticed that there was a whole pile of mutilated stuffed animals at the foot of Jupiter's statue.

"Seriously?" Nico asked.

Octavian narrowed his eyes. "You seem nervous." But of course, he ignored Pluto's children.

"You remind me of someone," Pandora replied, fiddling with the remains of the stuffed animal. "I can't remember who."

"Possibly my namesake, Octavian—Augustus Caesar. Everyone says I bear a remarkable resemblance."

Nico snorted, more likely, Pandora was recalling either Rachel (for the guy's prophetic abilities) or Luke (his looks).

"Why did you call me 'the Greek'?" Nico shot Pandora a warning glance but was ignored. He sighed, of course she wouldn't heed his advice. She wouldn't be Pandora otherwise.

"I saw it in the auguries." Octavian waved his knife at the pile of stuffing on the altar and Hazel allowed herself a moment of pity for them. "The message said: _The Greek has arrived_. Or possibly: _The goose has cried_. I'm thinking the first interpretation is correct. You seek to join the legion?"

"Duh," Pandora muttered sarcastically. But before she could say anything, Nico stepped forward and explained everything. By explaining, she meant that he was lying—or maybe it all happened when she was unconscious. Pandora didn't know anything about Juno appearing before Nico, Pandora and Hazel when they were struggling towards Camp Jupiter. Thinking about the fact that Hades' children had to drag her sorry ass while fighting monsters to protect her made Pandora feel useless.

When he mentioned Juno, Octavian looked surprised.

"Juno," he mused. "We call her _Juno Moneta_. Juno the Warner. She appears in times of crisis, to counsel Rome about great threats."

He glanced at Pandora, as if to say _like mysterious Greeks_, for instance.

"I hear the Feast of for tuna is this week," Nico said. "The gorgons warned there'd be an invasion on that day. Did you see that in your stuffing?"

"Sadly, no." Octavian sighed. "The will of the gods is hard to discern. And these days, my vision is even darker."

"Don't you have…I don't know," Pandora said, "an oracle or something?"

"An oracle!" Octavian smiled. "What a cute idea. No, I'm afraid we're fresh out of oracles. Now, if we'd gone questing for the Sibylline books, like I recommended—"

"The Siba-what?"

"Ignore him," Nico said. "Can they join or not?"

Octavian smiled coldly, his eyes assessing both girls as if to see how much each of them worth. He extended a hand eventually and with a grunt, Nico grabbed something from his backpack and hurl it at Octavian. Pandora thought it a pity the blonde boy caught it.

Octavian then turned towards the altar and held his knife up. The girls' jaw dropped but Nico sighed as if this was a normal occurence and he'd seen it happen daily. For him to have such resentment, Pandora supposed so.

Octavian slashed open the panda's belly and poured its stuffing over the altar.

He tossed the panda carcass aside, muttered a few words over the fluff, and turned with a big smile on his face. "Good news!" he said. "Pandora and Hazel may join the legion. We'll assign them a cohort at evening muster. Tell Reyna that I approve."

Hazel's shoulders relaxed. "Uh…great. Come on, let's go."

The children of the Big Three left without much protest, not wanting to stay in the mad man's presence any longer.

"I'd hate to meet more Romans if they're all like this," Pandora grumbled until Hazel cleared her throat loudly and looked at her pointedly.

Smiling sheepishly, Pandora rubbed the back of her head. "Eheh. Sorry."

"Let's go see Reyna."

"Oh, eager aren't you?" Pandora shot Nico a cold smile as she walked ahead with Hazel.

Nico sighed. It would be a terribly long and weary day...

**NxP**


	5. Chapter 5

**And Farther Still Than That**

**[Chapter Five]**

* * *

"Where are you going?"

Nico froze in his tracks, his back going unnaturally rigid when the feminine voice, carried by the winds, to his ears. He winced, knowing that there would be no easy way out of this. With some dread and hesitance, he turned, and much to his relief, it wasn't the girl he'd been dreading to see; he relaxed considerably when he saw Hazel's face instead of Percy's, even though the former had a frown on her face.

He schooled his expression into a blank mask, and responded after a moment of silence, "Somewhere."

Hazel frowned even harder when she received such a vague response. "Did you tell Percy?" she asked, arching a brow thoughtfully when she saw her brother's flinch. "Thought so," she mumbled, sighing and plopping herself down on the jewel-infested stairs leading up to Pluto's temple. "She'll get mad at you for sure and besides, she needs your help, she said so herself. And..." she hesitated. "...you're hiding something from us."

"I'm sorry I can't help you more but the both of you have to find your own way in camp, it's crucial to our survival." Nico replied, taking a few steps back and settling himself down by his sister's side. He tilted his head to the side, enjoying the feel of the breeze toying with his dark strands.

Hazel pursed her lips in displeasure but she did not voice her thought to her brother. "Is... Pandora - Percy - is she dangerous?"

Nico inclined his head to her question. "Yes," he said. "All you need to know is that she won't harm Camp Jupiter. No worries. You can trust her."

"Like I trust you," Hazel mumbled bitterly.

Nico finally raised his head to look at her, long and hard, then pressing his lips into a thin line, said, "I'm going to the Doors of Death." He twisted the skull ring on his pinky finger, eyes dark as he stood and retreated into the shadows. "Don't tell Pandora."

Hazel opened her mouth to protest but her brother was already gone. She sighed, getting to her feet and starting towards the Fields of Mars. This would be her second game, unlike Percy - her name was Pandora but Hazel liked calling her Percy - who'd skipped it the first time because she was too busy with the flu. - who would be participating for the first time. Nico'd said earlier that afternoon that it'd be very interesting and Hazel was now itching to take part and watch how interesting the war games will be tonight.

Never mind the fact that she was from the worst cohort in camp and that said cohort always ended up as the loser.

Well, at least she got to spend time with her new friend (that might be more but did not want to admit it), Frank Zhang. Her heart did a superquick flip-flop, Hazel herself wondered what was wrong but she quickened her pace, misinterpreting her heart's gesture as impatience to join the game.

Hazel, as it turned out, appeared to be just on time; the person in charge had just called her name and even though she tripped getting into line, she wasn't listed as late - fortunately, she didn't want to be punished, Roman punishments were harsh.

"Hey," Percy - to her anyway - grinned cheekily, swiping a dark and wet lock out of her eyes. "What's up?" Her sea green eyes sparkled in anticipation, mischievously - apparently, the daughter of Poseidon was ready to have fun despite the fact that she was out of place here and was far from home. The daughter of Pluto envied the other demigoddess' easy-going attitude, not at all concern about their current position and looming threat of world's end.

But of course, Percy wasn't like her, didn't do what she did. The green-eyed demigoddess was a hero, unlike her. They were worlds apart even though they were both children of the Big Three.

"Hazel?" Said girl blinked distractedly, finally realizing that the crowd were dispersing and settling into a formation more militaristic. "Are you okay?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah, right."

Percy cocked an eyebrow. "Really," she drawled with sarcasm but before she can insist upon prying into her friend's business, Dakota interfered, couching loudly to get their attention the same time Frank sidled up to the girls' side.

"Er, nice evening, girls," the unclaimed demigod greeted them, smiling hesitantly. Hazel couldn't help herself thinking that he had a cute smile; but she tried hard not to, after all the teasing of how these two klutz fitted one another, she was even more determined to not like him but he always seemed to be there. "Excited and ready to lose?"

"How pessimistic, not a very good trait, Frank," Percy laughed, clapping him on the back and how easy the other two got along made Hazel slightly jealous, feeling like a third-wheel even though she knew Nico would kill any guy getting too lose to his girl. "This, it'll be different."

Frank grinned, returning the girl's earlier gesture, but with not that much force. "Fine then, let's go chalk up my thirteenth defeat in a row!"

**xXx**

They, much to many's surprise, wasn't getting their ass handed back to them like they'd expected. Frank looked surprised, Hazel was too but only mildly because she _did_ receive a warning from Nico about Percy's powers beforehand but even so, she couldn't but be awed at how the Greek girl fought.

"Fun," the daughter of Poseidon said, grinning, as she bashed the hilt of her sword into a Roman demigod's head. The warrior went down like an aluminium tin foil. Hazel winced sympathetically, she definitely wouldn't want to be in that guy's position. She marveled as the green-eyed girl rolled out of the way, delivering a roundhouse kick which sent a few demigods flying.

A shrill voice stood out amidst the chaos as the Fifth Cohort fought their way in to get the Mural Crown. Frank, Percy and Hazel waded through the enemy, ploughing down anyone who stood in their way. The First and Second Cohorts – pride of Camp Jupiter, a well-oiled, highly disciplined war machine – fell apart under the assault and the sheer novelty of being on the losing side.

Half of their problem was Percy. She whirled through the defenders' rank with no problem, Riptide an arc of glowing destruction in her wake but despite her attacks, she didn't deal permanent damage on the Romans; on the side note, she didn't even fight like one, possessing an unorthodox style of fighting, kicking, whacking and smacking and slashing instead of stabbing like a typical Roman would.

So this was how the Greeks fight. They took advantage of every opening instead of fighting head-on like a Roman would. Hazel sort of admired their carefree style; Percy's wild and unpredictable attacks were throwing the Romans into mass chaos, resulted in their inability to predict the girl's actions.

Speaking of the shrill voice, Hazel glanced up to where she saw Octavian, waving his sword around and screaming - whether it was orders or he was trying to sing in soprano, she wasn't sure but she grinned anyway, seeing his disorientation - but Percy put a stop to it. She somersaulted over a line of shields and slammed the butt of her sword into Octavian's helmet. The centurion collapsed like a sock puppet. Percy did this smiling widely, she glanced down briefly and flashed her friends a thumbs-up before she jumped down into the fray again.

Hannibal trumpeted loudly, triumphantly as if she knew that they were winning for once, and charged. Hazel jumped down, landing right on the elephant's back. She laughed, looking down, "Come on, slowpokes!" and rode off on Hannibal's back. Dimly, as she watched Hannibal shove opponents out of the way, she was aware of Percy and Frank sprinting to catch up to her.

They ran to the center of the base. The inner keep was virtually unguarded. Obviously the defenders never dreamed an assault would get this far. Hannibal busted down the huge doors. Inside, the First and Second Cohort standard-bearers were sitting around a table playing Mythomagic with cards and figurines. The cohort's emblems were propped carelessly against one wall, Hazel noted with distaste. If she were them, she would've hidden it better or at least send a guard to it, no matter how pathetic the enemy was.

Hazel and Hannibal rode straight into the room, and the standard-bearers fell backwards out of their chairs. Hannibal stepped on the table, and game pieces scattered. By the time the rest of the cohort caught up with them, Percy and Frank had disarmed the enemies, grabbed the banners and climbed onto Hannibal's back with Hazel.

They marched out of the keep triumphantly with the enemy colors. The Fifth Cohort formed ranks around them. Together they paraded out of the fort, past stunned enemies and lines of equally mystified allies.

"This game," Percy declared, laughing through the cheers of the crowd. "is almost better than Capture-The-Flag back at home."

"Capture-the-Flag?" Hazel asked, cocking an eyebrow in curiosity as Hannibal's pace slowed, lowering herself to let the riders down.

"Back home, at the Greek camp," Percy said wistfully, gazing at the east where Hazel assumed the Greek Camp was. Then she blinked and it was as if a spell had been broken because she was back to smiling. "Tell you later." she said as she demount the elephant.

The three were greeted by Reyna who looked mildly amused though she looked a tad spiteful when her gaze landed on Percy - eyes suspicious while the green-eyed girl look strangely guilty; Hazel wondered what sort of history these two have, she was curious but she knew better than to pry it in such a place.

Their joy was short-lived however, when a scream pierced the air and broke the cheery atmosphere.

Hazel's smile dimmed, dropped completely to be replaced by a look of utter horror, as her brisk pace turned into a mad sprint. She skidded to a stop at where a ring of demigods had gathered around Gwen, the friendly co-leader of the Fifth Cohort that she liked, and gasped. A pilum with the sign of the First Cohort was there, and Hazel felt sick when she came to a thought, that maybe Gwen wasn't even hurt during the game, but after it and it was done in spite.

Before her tears could spill, a gasp of amazement soon echoed by the others and rippled through the crowd reached her ears and Hazel raised her eyes in disbelief when she saw Gwen moving and speaking through her cracked lips. Gwen looked disoriented but otherwise fine, she however was unable to comprehend why everyone looked so horrified.

Percy nudged her way in, her hands grasping the pilum sticking out from Gwen's chest and pulled. The daughter of Mercury herself gasped at what she saw, dizzy at what she saw and shocked beyond words when she felt no pain even as the daughter of Neptune forcefully pulled the weapon out of her.

Dazed, she croaked, "W - What's going on?"

The daughter of Neptune examined the pilum in her hands in wonder, gazing at the tip of the spear where Gwen's mortality glistened under the bright moon. Somehow, the moon which usually soothed her felt especially ominous, she wondered what Lady Artemis was thinking now, to cause such a sudden change to the usual serene moon.

"You died," said Pandora flatly, not caring for subtlety. "and came back to life." She raised her own dazed green eyes, leveling them on Gwen's grey ones. "What else?" she didn't wait for an answer, switching her gaze to the crowd for a familiar, handsome, pale face. "Where's Nico?" she asked softly, weakly.

Hazel choked, "But how - " She almost turned to look for Nico herself, to ask, demand of him - who'd always been closer and knew more about death than she did - for an answer before she dropped the idea, recalling that her half-brother had left on a quest of his own. She was stunned but apparently, that wasn't the last of it as a large shadow loomed over, her a loud voice booming across the Fields of Mars.

She turned to see the god himself, her mouth turned as dry as sandpaper, but when Reyna knelt, she followed the praetor's example and did so; she numbly registered that everyone did, all but one girl: Pandora Jackson.

The daughter of Neptune had her arms crossed, her chin tilted in perverse stubbornness and arrogance, obviously she had something against the god of war. "You," she said, her voice hard and cold. "You're Ares, what're you doing here?"

The god of war sneered, his face rippling gruesomely along with his scars, as he leaned forward threateningly, prompting many shudders and trembles from the Romans but the sole Greek - and the Romans didn't know this tidbit of an information - didn't even so much as bat an eyelash.

Hazel groaned, finally out of her stupor of terror, shaking her head, knowing that this wouldn't be a simple night.

**xXx**

As it turned out, the night wasn't even close to over without excitement. Whispers of awe, horror, jealousy followed the three demigods - one of Neptune, the other of Pluto, and one newly claimed by Mars - and their fate.

Frank shifted uncomfortably under their heavy gazes. "I'm not so used to this sort of attention," he said to the inquiring looks he got from the girls.

Pandora smiled softly and he felt his cheeks heat up for a moment, he turned away hurriedly so as to not allow her to spot it. Hazel glanced at him next, knowingly, as if she knew what he was thinking at the moment. "You'll get used to it soon," Pandora remarked after a moment.

"How come you're so cool about this?"

"I'm used to it," both girls answered coolly but their tones were different; Percy's was wry as if she was thinking about a particular fond-slash-annoying memory but Hazel's tone was as dark and heavy as the Romans' gaze; he wondered what made these two Children of the Big Three so different.

"But... a quest? Neither of you are scared? Worried that we might fail?"

The two girls exchanged silent glances, an understanding and a whole conversation passing between them in a way that Frank doubted he understood much but the girls' shoulders sag and they look terribly sad and wary.

When neither answered, the son of Mars - and how he wished he wasn't! - remained silent too, content on following both girls.

**xXx**

* * *

**AN**

Reason why I haven't updated much lately is - Writer's BLOCK - a pain in the ass really but I'm trying, just don't expect much updates.

And the switching between Pandora/Percy names is deliberate so don't complain now; I want the readers to keep in mind that Pandora is the female version of Percy and so, the name because I don't want her to be accused of as an OC.


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